How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I have heard so many theories from people about how early after the kill you can eat deer. Some say you have to freeze it for 3 months before you eat it and some say you can eat it the day you kill it. Can somebody clear this up for me? Thanks

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

Most should age for a few days, I've always chicken fried small pieces of neck meat the same day and had no problems. aging simply breaks down the fibers.
Dan

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

The backstraps are very tasty for supper after the kill. Lots of hunters eat those the same day of the kill. Thats usually the first thing that get eaten around here. So you can eat deer after it has been checked in...

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

You can eat it right after you kill it! I like to clean the animal right away, skin it,cut into major pieces and then put it in a fridge for a few days up to a week. This cold aging helps tenderize it. I then finish butchering it up and package for the freezer . It is also a lot easier to cut up when the meat is cold.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I always try to let it hang for about three days depending on the weather. I don't have a big cooller so I just hang in the garage. So weather temps play a roll for me on how long to hang. Cold weather longer hang time, warmer weather shorter hang time. As Big Guy said the longer it hangs the tenderer it gets. GL hope it helps ;)

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

How fast can you get the back strap out......Other then that I hang mine by the back legs for a day or two,if its early in the season and hot out I will put Ice bags/jugs in the chest cavity and wrap a tarp around it to keep it cool....Then quarter it up and then cut it up in the kitchen and wrap it,then into the frezer for later consumtion.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I would at least let it cool down.. if not it can have a bad taste to it. Letting the body heat out of it first is a big plus. If the weather allows I like to hang them for 3-5 days first. I do not care for a deer that has been cut up and frozen with the body heat still in them before freezing....

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

Since we've begun processing our own venison, I don't recall the tenderloins making it to the freezer. If we get home late then they are consumed the next day. The tenderloins first then the backstraps. Then whatevery you want. The "tougher" the piece of meat the longer we usually let the age before freezing. We don't have the luxury of letting them age a few days without lots of ice in the cooler unless we're home and have the fridge.

It is kind of creepy to have the backstraps (of hogs) twitching in your hands.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I let my han atleast 2 days, and Ranger I would not hang my deer by the back legs, or put ice in it unless it wasn't that coldand still I see no reason, but I hang mine by the neck for 2-3 days after gutting, and washing out the inside with a garden hose, open up the chest good, and after those days I cut off the head legs, and skin it then we de-bone the whole deer and freeze it for a couple days and start eating after we let it sit another day in salt, water and vinegar this gets the game taste out of it, some processing plants screw you over by not doing this process it makes the meat taste hundred percent better.

RE: How soon can you eat deer meat?
 

I can understand what you are saying as the climate here is much different....Also the same here with the tenderloins but we still cool them down even if putting them in a fridge. Some have been known to cool the deer down by putting it in cold water as well. Water just doesn't do it for me. But if the weather is to warm quartering and placing in a fridge or cooler will get the body heat out of it.

Would you if a dog or coyote ate the hind quarters off from it? Or someone came along in the night and stole a hind quarter? It does happen in some places and here is one of them.